Editor’s picks: Jackie Tang’s winter reads
Tuesday, 9 May 2017
There’s no discontent in sight as Jackie Tang highlights her picks for winter. Catherine Lacey’s second novel The Answers (Granta, July) is a surreal and penetrating psychological study of love...
Your store: A round-up of retailing news, tips and titbits
Tuesday, 9 May 2017
Love match How can booksellers better compete with florists and confectioners on Valentine’s Day? This was the challenge that led to Avid Reader’s Secret Admirer campaign, which won the Best...
International perspectives: John Mutter and James Daunt on the book industry in the US and UK
Tuesday, 9 May 2017
John Mutter, editor-in-chief of US bookselling publication Shelf Awareness, and James Daunt, MD of UK bookstore chain Waterstones and founder of Daunt Books, will deliver keynote addresses at this year’s...
Double Act: Hybrid authors on publishing both ways
Tuesday, 9 May 2017
A new breed of hybrid authors are experimenting with self-publishing alongside traditional publishing. Jackie Tang and Andrea Hanke spoke to John Birmingham, Judy Horacek and Kylie Scott about their self-publishing...
Conversation starter: Felicity Vallence shares her career journey
Tuesday, 9 May 2017
Former Penguin publicist and marketing manager and passionate YA advocate Felicity Vallence shares her career journey. I joined Penguin just after their move to Camberwell, as a fresh-faced publicity assistant, and...
Under the influence: Reaching online influencers
Tuesday, 9 May 2017
As ‘old media’ books coverage shrinks, the influence of voices in ‘new media’ is becoming increasingly important. But how do publishers reach online influencers—and how are traditional influencers growing their...
Backlist bestsellers
Tuesday, 9 May 2017
Andrea Hanke explores the trends behind backlist bestsellers. To get a better picture of the books that sell strongly years after their initial release, we asked Nielsen BookScan to provide a...
Back to backlist: extending the sales period beyond new release
Tuesday, 9 May 2017
How do you extend the sales period of a book past its new-release window? Brad Jefferies spoke to two local publishers and online bookseller Booktopia, which claims to sell a...
Joining the chorus: Alexandra Payne on feminist publishing
Tuesday, 9 May 2017
UQP nonfiction publisher Alexandra Payne examines the resurgence of feminist books, their viability and the price of moving from the margins to the mainstream. I have a bookcase at home that...
Crime teen investigation: Tristan Bancks on ‘The Fall’
Wednesday, 3 May 2017
In Tristan Bancks’ middle-grade novel The Fall, 12-year-old Sam Garner finds himself investigating a crime after witnessing a body falling from his apartment building. Bancks spoke to reviewer Braiden Asciak....
Heart to heart: Melanie Cheng on ‘Australia Day’
Thursday, 27 April 2017
Melanie Cheng’s Australia Day (Text, July) is a ‘bittersweet, beautifully crafted collection’ about the conflicts and realisations that occur when people of different backgrounds are brought together. She spoke to reviewer...
Untying the knots: Mark Brandi on ‘Wimmera’
Thursday, 27 April 2017
Mark Brandi’s debut crime novel Wimmera (Hachette, July) is a ‘languid and unsettling’ story about two boys growing up together in a small town in the 1980s. He spoke to reviewer...
Books+Publishing magazine Issue 1 2017
Wednesday, 15 March 2017
Books+Publishing magazine’s first issue for 2017 is out now! Reviews: It’s a strong start to the year for reviews, with four adult books scoring 4.5 stars in this issue. Among...
Book bites: Titles for tots
Tuesday, 14 March 2017
In the picture Detailed illustrations take centre stage in Let’s Count Kisses (Karen Hull, Hachette, April), which encourages kids to count the butterflies on each page while Aussie animals are...
Diversity matters: Representation in children’s publishing
Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Three years on from the ‘We Need Diverse Books’ campaign, Jordi Kerr examines the state of diversity in children’s publishing and finds that we don’t just need diverse books, we...
Booksellers weigh in on popular fiction bestsellers in 2016
Tuesday, 14 March 2017
For an in-depth look at what’s popular in popular fiction, we asked specialist booksellers Stefen Brazulaitis of Stefen’s Books, Fiona Hardy of Readings and Lucy Abarcia of Ever After for...
Talkback: Addressing the cost of literary awards
Tuesday, 14 March 2017
The decision by UWA Publishing to cease entering its titles for book awards has highlighted the high costs incurred by publishers. Andrea Hanke spoke to several awards organisers to find...
Editor’s picks: Jackie Tang’s autumn reading list
Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Politics and prose take centre stage in Jackie Tang’s Autumn reading list. Here and now When Hachette first launched the Richell Prize for Emerging Writers in 2015, the publisher received...
Shelf talk: Page-turners
Tuesday, 14 March 2017
It’s all about chick lit, historical fiction and Gone Girl-esque thrillers over the next few months as the publishing industry gears up for Mother’s Day. ‘If Bridget Jones and Nina Proudman...
Shelf talk: Fresh start
Tuesday, 14 March 2017
There are always lots of health and wellbeing titles out early in the year while New Year’s resolutions are still fresh. Two former stars of the Australian TV series the...
Shelf talk: Life stories
Tuesday, 14 March 2017
When journalist and news anchor Tracey Spicer was sacked by her network after having a baby, she took legal action and threw off the shackles of being a self-described ‘good...
Between the lines: Observations on the trade by Gladys Bembo
Tuesday, 14 March 2017
The details of the close relationships enjoyed by authors and their literary agents are normally veiled in a miasma of traditional politeness and contractually obliged silence. So the very public...
Your store: A round-up of retailing news, tips and titbits
Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Booksellers, publishers collaborate at Indies Forum Around 90 guests gathered in Melbourne in February for the first Indies Forum, hosted by the Australian Publishers Association (APA) and Australian Booksellers Association...
A country practice: Portia Lindsay’s journey into regional arts development
Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Former bookseller and NSW Writers’ Centre program officer Portia Lindsay has found her calling in regional arts development and now runs the Mudgee Readers’ Festival. She shares her career journey. ...
Rundle in the jungle: On Dymocks Adelaide
Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Dymocks Adelaide franchise owner Mandy Macky has led the Rundle Mall store since 1991, through microfiche, continuous-feed computer sheets and a relocation. She shares her bookseller’s diary. Standard Books was...
Partnering up: Launching La Trobe University Press
Tuesday, 14 March 2017
La Trobe University has partnered with Black Inc. to launch the nonfiction imprint, La Trobe University Press, in the university’s 50th anniversary year. Vicki Stegink spoke to vice-chancellor John Dewar...
Festival fever: Are there too many literary festivals in Australia?
Tuesday, 14 March 2017
With the tally of Australian literary festivals reaching more than 90 in 2017, Jo Case takes a look at the role festivals play in an increasingly crowded literary events landscape....
Alternative worlds: Australian genre publishing
Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Danielle Binks explores the state of genre publishing in Australia. In 2012, the Australian Writer’s Marketplace (AWM)—an arm of the Queensland Writer’s Centre—held its first ever ‘GenreCon’ for writers. In...
Book bites: Big kids’ books
Tuesday, 28 February 2017
Get smart Why let the little kids have all the fun? Picture books are a useful way to get primary school-aged children to engage with nonfiction, and there are several...
Funny business: Children’s books by comedians on the rise
Tuesday, 28 February 2017
With children’s books by comedians on the rise, Jackie Tang asks publishers and booksellers what’s driving the trend—and whether the books are living up to the hype. Take a look...
